A New Year...

Hard to believe it's been nearly an entire year since I've last updated this blog. It makes me sad to see how long I've neglected it, since I truly enjoy blogging and keeping everyone updated with our busy little guy! So I've made it my goal to blog every week! (I attempted this last year and lasted only a week or two) As I reflected on what I wanted my "resolution" to be for this year, I found it odd that I can blog about the kids I teach multiple times each week and that my teacher blog reflects accurately what we are learning and doing each day/week. I want this to be the case for my personal blog too. I want our friends and family to be able to do just that to.

So...here goes!

Donuts!

Yep, it's official, our little guy LoVeS donuts, just about as much as his mommy, if not more! :-) A new donut shop opened in downtown Aggieville and we decided to check it out. One word. Amazing. Varsity Donuts, is the name and they thought of everything. They have the glass donut cases, they have every kind of donut imaginable, donut dough for kids to play in, games for kids, books, you name it, they have it.

Braxton's favorite donut is currently a "purple one" as he calls it, known as the K-Stater. He enjoys reading their kid friendly books, playing with the donut dough, and attempting to play Scrabble and Chinese Checkers! He's watched mom and dad play Words with Friends a few too many times, so when he saw the Scrabble board, he wanted to make words! Okay, so they weren't really words...but to him they were and he was naming the letters in each of his "words". It doesn't get better than that literacy wise if you ask me. You have to start somewhere and this kid is definitely into the letter recognition right now! He can also sing his ABCs and loves watching a Leapfrog Letters DVD each night at bedtime....speaking of bedtime, this Letters DVD hasn't happened recently because we've swtiched to bowling...I'll explain next.

Xbox 360 + Kinect

We were very blessed to be given an Xbox 360 and Kinect this year for Christmas as a family gift! My husband and I have played the Wii gaming system a time or two through friends or family, but did not own or typically play games on a gaming console. So we were not sure of how much we would use the Xbox 360 and Kinect at first. However, after only having it a few weeks, any doubts we previously had, are long gone. What a fun and interactive way to get your family moving, playing and laughing together LOTS! Braxton's favorite game by all means is bowling! He loves to get the Pink ball and throw it down the lane. He is getting really good and sure can nail the strikes. Last night he even beat me in bowling! He also enjoys sprinting and long jumping! He still need some practice on the long jumping, as he tends to jump early and lands on the runway instead of the sand. Haha! But have no worries, as a former long jumper in middle and high school, we will get this figured out! He also enjoys rafting and a lion game where he gets to interact with the lions and play games. So our evenings after bath time, have consisted of playing a few of these games prior to bedtime. He sure does enjoy it and is getting good at understanding the whole "sensor" technology!

So I'll end for here now! Until next time!

Hopeful - Children's Mercy Visit

Today we finally begin the process of being referred to a pulmonologist for our son Braxton. Our son will visit Children's Mercy where we are very hopeful that they will be able to give us a course of treatment and a plan of action for our young son and his breathing difficulties and respiratory issues he's had.

As I look back on the past year and a half, I can't help but think of the hundreds of breathing treatments, the countless trips to the doctors office or urgent care center, the endless trips to Dillon's pharmacy, the several humidifiers we've gone through, and the many sleepless nights for our son. Braxton's doctor was hoping that he would outgrow all of this, but each time it's only gotten worse. Our last bout came during the Christmas break. After visiting the doctor's office three mornings in a row, and having to up his breathing treatments to every 2-4 hours, and barely making it through the nights without a trip to the hospital, the referral came.

We do not know what today will hold. But we do know that God never gives us more than we can bear. We have cast our cares upon the Lord and know that through it all we will be loved and nurtured by our loving Father. We are thankful for the talents and gifts that God has given the medical doctor's at Children's Mercy and pray that today we will get some much needed answers. We want to thank our family and friends for their love, support, and prayers they have shown our family. We truly are blessed to have each of you in our lives.

Let it snow, let it snow, BUT not inside

So this week I was very lucky to get dismissed early from school one day, followed by a full snow day the next! Not only that, but I failed to mention we had a snow day the prior week as well. How exciting considering we've yet to have a full week of school since Christmas break! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but definitely won't pass up any opportunity to spend extra time with my son! So this day and a half was perfect for fun mother and son time!

However, I think the highlight of our snow day was when I was getting dinner ready! Of course, since it was snowing and cold, we had to have chili and cinnamon rolls - definitely a staple for cold, wintry weather. As I had the chili on the stove and cinnamon rolls in the over, I noticed it had been very quite for quite some time. When you have a toddler in the house you know this can mean only one thing - TROUBLE!!! I quickly ran to Braxton's room to find him and the floor covered in baby powder! He had the bottle upside down and was just shaking it like crazy! Hence the day Braxton made it snow inside! Needless to say he got to help clean up the snow and get a bath immediately - dinner of course could wait!!! I'd love to say I got mad and said, "NO, Braxton," but honestly all I could do was laugh and take a picture of the mess!!! :-)

Braxton's Asthma Attacks

As many of you know, for the past year we have struggled with Braxton and his breathing due to his asthma. This past week, he's had a setback that almost put him back into the hospital and still could if he has another nighttime setback. For those of you that remember, it was last February that he was hospitalized for 4 days with a diagnosis of RSV at the time. The past 2 nights we have been dealing with these same breathing issues that put Braxton in the hospital last year.

For those of you that don't know, we put Braxton on Singular about 3 months ago and have not had to give him a breathing treatment since then, that is until this past week. With him starting Singular we were amazed at the results it immediately gave our son Braxton and the fact that we were no longer battling the breathing treatments that we have done so for the past year.

However, during the past week, his coughing during the day and night had become more prevalent and it became obvious that we had to do something because of his coughing fits, labored breathing, and low oxygen levels. In the past 2 days we've visited the doctor twice, averaged about 1.5 hours of sleep per night and had a chest x-ray done. The doctors are calling Braxton's current condition as severe asthma attacks due to a viral infection and we are treating with oral steroids, breathing treatments every 2 hours, and other prescribed methods. This morning our doctor sent us to get chest xrays. We just got a call that his chest xrays are good and there is no sign of pneumonia, thank goodness. As long as we can keep his breathing rate stable and oxygen levels normal, we will be at our home tonight.

I am asking for your prayers, love, and support for my family as we work through these issues to get to the "root" of his breathing and asthma problems. As a mother, you feel so helpless when you can't "fix" what is hurting on your child and they can't tell you exactly what it is that is hurting or that they are feeling. I ask that you pray for strength for us all during this time as we try and overcome these issues. We love you all!

Whew...half a year off!

So as we all settle in to make New Year's Resolutions, I am making my resolution to update Braxton's blog at least once a week. As you can tell from my last post, it's been a good 6 months, since I've updated his blog! Yikes!!! Obviously it would take entirely too long to catch everyone up, so I'll just start with where he is at!

Christmas

For Christmas we traveled back West for Braxton's second Christmas! It was quite the trip, but very enjoyable as always! Braxton decided that there wasn't enough excitement going on and decided that this would be his time to get sick! Poor little guy! He even decided to throw up on Nana and Papa's brand new carpet. It wouldn't have been so bad, had it not been red! I kind of panicked thinking he was throwing up blood, but after a minute to gather my thoughts, remembered he'd had blueberries for snack. Oh, and as for Nana and Papa's carpet, it cleaned up easily (thank goodness for their stain master carpet)! Christmas morning Braxton had bounced back and was ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! He also enjoyed opening presents and seeing what Santa brought him. It was a great day surrounded by our family!

Braxton Update
Braxton is a very joyful, full of energy 20 month old! It's hard to believe that he's almost two! Where has the time gone! He loves to climb and jump outside and inside! He recently went with his daycare to a gymnastic play center, and they said he definitely enjoyed his time to run, jump, and climb!

New Year's Eve

As we end 2010, I thought I'd share some of Braxton's favorite things right now!

• He loves to fake laugh! Whenever he hears someone laughing, he'll laugh too! Too cute!
• He loves to play in the water! He has a step stool in the bathroom and would spend all day at the sink IF we would let him!
• He loves the word NO!! Braxton, want to go to bed, No! Braxton, want a snack, No! Braxton, want to go to the store, No! :-) Let's just say I've been working on rephrasing my sentences, Braxton, let's have a snack, apples or raisins, etc! I figure this sentence rephrasing we'll help take away the No responses that drive me crazy! :-)
  
• He loves to talk! Braxton's vocabulary has really taken off the past few months and he talks non-stop all day long! I wonder where he got that from... (his mommy)!
  
• He loves his new daycare! We had to make a daycare switch in October, and Braxton made the transition quite well. He enjoys his new teachers, friends, and all of the fun centers and activities they do every day. He especially loves to play at the play kitchen!
  
• He loves books and puzzles!
• He loves to play hide and seek with mom and dad and loves to give hugs and kisses!
• He loves dogs!!! I definitely see us getting a puppy in the 2011 year!
• He loves to help load the dishwasher, washer, dryer and enjoys sweeping and vacuuming!
• He loves to clean up his toys and even sings his clean-up song...Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!
• He loves to call his name outloud! If Dave or I say Braxton, he'll chime right in and say Braxton! It's adorable!
• He loves to drive. Whenever we get home, it is his turn to drive the car. We will sit in the garage half an hour while he "drives" the car, honks the horn, closes and opens the sun visors and garage door with the remote button! Thankfully our neighbors are understanding of this obsession of his and don't mind the repeated horn honking or garage door opening and closing! Only a few more years until he gets his license, I'm sure! :-)
  
• He loves his blankie and we can't go anywhere without it! I think every kid has a lovie!

As we close out the year 2010, we reflect back on the many blessings in our life! We are thankful for our friends, family, and good health. We are especially thankful for the joy that our son, Braxton, brings to our lives and to those around us. We look forward to the upcoming New Year and know that it will bring many new adventures to our family!

Mr. Braxton

After going on my marathon post week last week, I realized that I forgot to fill everyone in on all of Braxton's milestones! The past few weeks, our son, has blossomed and has become quite the chatterbox. He just loves to talk and talk and talk! There is definitely not a quite moment in our house, excluding nap times! :-) Braxton's favorite word by all means is dadda! He says dadda all day long and even in the middle of the night when he wakes up for oh - 30 seconds or so - says a few random dadda's and then is out like a light. I think he's just so used to saying dadda, that he's talking in his sleep! We all know that if this is the case, then he definitely gets it from his momma.

Let's see, other words.

Braxton is really good at letting us know when he is finished eating. He'll say done - or something very similar. He is also really good at pointing to our clock in our living room and saying lock (clock). Another favorite of his is uh-uh (uh-oh). This phrase gets used multiple times during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. When his cup falls to the ground, or food falls to the floor, or he drops something, he's the first to say uh-uh. He's also pretty good at making it a game too! :-)

Another of his favorites is dog. Pretty much every day when we go to the park we see a dog or several. Braxton is quick to say doh (dog) and attempts to escape from my arms to go see the dog. We also have several great neighbors who have dogs and Braxton just loves to pull their tails and hair. We are definitely still working on the gentle part.

And there is also mamma! Braxton typically doesn't say this word much unless he needs help or wants his momma! I think I hear this word the most on the weekend when I'm getting ready in the bathroom and he's with dadda. He is definitely a mamma's boy and doesn't want me out of his sight! He also enjoy saying nana and papa too!

Braxton also has the standard hi and bye down! He just loves to wave at people and anything "new" that catches his eye. In fact this morning at church I believed he waved to the empty chair behind us for about 5 minutes. :D Oh, and he LOVES to laugh and giggle! He's really into the fake laughs right now. I'll pretend to laugh and then he'll laugh and we'll continue this over and over again. Tonight we also had the wheee phrase going over and over. We were on our way home from a softball game and we went over a bump and I was like wheee and then Braxton did it. And so our wheee game continued merrily on until we arrived home.

If I were to guess what his next few words are going to be, I'd have to say up, down, bath, and swing! These are the three words that I say over and over throughout the course of our day together. A few examples. Let's get down. Do you want up? Step up. Step down. Would you like to swing? Time for a bath. :D I will definitely keep you posted!

MMMM....Cold Stone Creamery

Tonight for dessert we went to Cold Stone Creamery and it was oh, so yummy! Braxton shared with mommy and daddy and even had his own "sample" spoon to eat with. He quickly learned to dig in and helped mom and dad devour our Gotta Love It bowl of Peanut Butter Cup Perfection ice cream. What a perfect ending to our day! Oh, and did I mention this was a great way for him to practice his fine motor skills! Hmm...maybe we'll have to do this more often! :D

One word: RANCH

One word: Ranch! Our son loves it! We checked out a new burger place, Smash Burger, this weekend and found out that Braxton loves ranch dressing. We ordered him chicken tenders and it came with dish of ranch. We moved it to the top of his tray and before we knew it, he had discovered what that white stuff was, and starting "dipping" in! He'd dunk a french fry, then suck off all the ranch, take a small bite of his fry, then dunk it back in the ranch! It was quite the sight! Needless to say, it wasn't the healthiest meal, but he sure ate well! If anyone knows my husband and I, we love ranch, so it's only fitting that our son follow in our footsteps! Thanks Braxton for such an entertaining lunch!

Pool Time

It wouldn't be summer, if we didn't have a pool, right?!? We bought Braxton a $20 pool at Wal-Mart and it too has become a daily part of our summer routine (minus the rain - like today - ughhh - will is ever stop?) Let's just say, this kid of ours LoVeS WaTeR!!! Not a little, but a lot! If I let him, Braxton would spend hours and hours in it, however, even though it's summer, we still have to set some limits! Braxton loves to go down the slide in his pool, loves to throw his toys in and out, enjoys getting in and out of the pool multiple times throughout the afternoon, and even loves to make footprints with his wet feet! He has also recently discovered the water hose and is completely fascinated with it. He'll just sit there and wrap himself up in it over and over again. Oh, and to top it off, I found a really cute sailor hat at Baby Gap that just looks absolutely adorable on him. And get this, he actually wears it! Amazing for a one-year old! I'm definitely enjoying the outside time too and am turning a pretty tan color! (Now that in itself is a sight!!)

Rolling Hills Zoo

Car, check! Snacks, check! Drinks, check! Sunscreen, check! Stroller, check! Hats, check! Braxton, mom, and dad, check! It's time to hit the road for the zoo! A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of a family outing to the Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, KS! It was a BEAU TI FUL day with lots of fun in the sun! We spent the better part of a morning checking out all of the sights and sounds, and all in all had a great outing. Braxton was such a joy, as he always is! He is such a little sponge at his age, and is always taking everything in. You can literally just see the little wheels turning inside his growing mind. We want to expose him to so many different things at this young age and just let him take in what he's ready and capable of handling! He did just this at the zoo, and definitely had some favorite moments! By the end of our trip he was so pooped out that as soon as he was in his carseat, he was out! Light's out! What a fun, family day!

One Little Climber

It's official, Braxton loves to climb! No longer can this little boy be left alone for even a second because if he is, he'll find something to climb!! And even when we are right there with him, when he wants to climb he's going to climb.

For example, this past week we were unloading the dishwasher together, or so I thought. I turned around to put the plates up, and when I turned back around, there was Braxton standing on the door of the dishwasher as proud as ever. Another example, the stove. I went to put Braxton's sippy cup in the refrigerator and next thing I knew, he's standing up on the stove. And yet another example, the coffee table. We're watching the nightly news and next thing we know Braxton is hiking his leg and crawling up on the table. Wow, let's just say this boy of ours is talented, strong, and quick! His love of climbing has also allowed him to experience things from a different view. He'll know climb up on chairs and try to turn and open doorknobs. He'll also climb up on the couch and try to get the clock on the wall - all the while saying lock (aka clock).

So needless to say, nothing in our house is safe right now! I'm just praying that he continues to explore all of these other items (with adult supervision) and not try to climb out of his crib. It's honestly probably one of my worst fears right now as a parent, that's he'll try to climb out and get hurt by falling out. Let's just say that the first time I see him even trying, he's crib is going to be converted to his toddler bed. I'm hoping that day comes later than sooner!

Loving Park Time

Braxton is officially a park goer and loves it! :D Now that I am home for the summer this is something that we can do EVERYDAY (minus when it's raining, boo-hoo) and he just loves it! It's amazing to watch how much he has grown just from the first time I took him to the park this summer. He has realized that he has a great LOVE for climbing and climbs any and everything!

He loves the play equipment and has gotten really good at it all EXCEPT the slide. He still doesn't quite understand that he has to sit down and tries to walk (aka run) down the slide. I have to have super mom powers and bounce back and forth from one side of the play equipment to the other - just to save him from an unflattering fall. Thankfully, this has provided my daily exercise this summer. Until my hip (big issues, just not sure what we're going to do) decides to work for me, this will be the only running I'll be doing anytime soon. Tear. Tear.

It's also been enjoyable to meet other moms and dads (YES - there are lots of dads who LOVE to take their children to the park) at the park and to have that adult conversation that I miss so much during the day. We're all pretty good about understanding the sudden need to jump out of a conversation to go rescue our child who is stealing someones ball, sand bucket and shovel - yes these are daily occurrences at any park you go to. And these only name a few! Braxton has also enjoyed this daily interaction with other kids! He's really into "big" kids right now and wants to do what they are doing. I can only laugh when he sees the 8-9 year olds playing tag, and thinks it's okay to join in!

It has also been a joy to to be a witness to others as I'm at the park as well. :D I think that God definitely puts you in places where He wants you to work for the Glory of His Kingdom.

My Sister Visits from Belgium

After a very LONG year and a half, I finally got to see my sister!!! My sister and her daughter were able to fly in for all of the festivities going on in May! It was so good to see her! And she got to meet our son Braxton for the very first time - and he also got to meet his cousin Chelsea. Let's just say it was like old times. We talked, gossiped, shopped, ate, vegged, you name it, we did it! It was as if she didn't live an ocean away in Belgium - and it was just a girls weekend get together. We treasured our time together as a family and were very sad to see her have to leave. We are just thankful for the several days that we got to spend with her. On another exciting note, we just found out that her and her husband are expecting their second child! Congratulations Lucas family! We are so happy for you and know that Chelsea is ecstatic to be a big sister. After seeing her with Braxton during their visit, I have no doubt that she'll be the best big sister ever! As you can tell from the pictures above they loved hide-n-seek and they both were out come naptime!! We can't wait to add another niece or nephew to the family! Hurry up January! Oh, and hopefully this means a much anticipated trip to Belgium to see our new little niece or nephew.

Momma's Graduation

So it's been awhile and I have lots to catch everyone up on! It's amazing May has come and gone, and I haven't posted one single thing on my blog. Lets just say, it's been rather busy around our house these days! On May 15th, Braxton got to watch him Momma (as he says) get hooded during her Master's hooding ceremony and also got to watch me walk across the stage to receive my diploma. All my hard work was finally done! It was such a huge sigh of relief to walk across the stage and know that my family, my parents, sister and niece were there watching me receive one of my biggest dreams and goals - a Master's degree! Thank you to all of you that provided your love and support to me during this time. I love you always and forever!

On another happier note, as soon as my walk across the stage was completed (oh and a few pictures too) we hightailed it out of there and were on our way to yet another graduation! My nieces!! There was no way we were going to miss her graduation celebration!! I'm sure my parents would have been mighty sad if they could have missed their first granddaughter's graduation - but no need to go there - because we all made it in plenty of time!! I had the plan of attack for our lightening speed trip to Wyneewood down and ready to go! I just had to convince everyone else of my plan! One stop - food, restrooms, you name it - get it done! And it pretty much happened just like that! I am good! Oh, and for the duration of our 6 1/2 hour trip we had a very cheery 5 year old - our niece Chelsea - that rode in the back with Braxton - and wouldn't let her mom ride with us. It was too cute! Chelsea and Braxton were happy campers throughout the trip and definitely kept each other entertained. Good, good times!

We made it to Oklahoma and had the honor of being at Amber's graduation! It was such a grand celebration with all of the people that loved and supported her there. Following her graduation we had a good ole' Odom party! There was lots of food, fun, people, and pictures! Oh, and did I mention cake - UNBELIEVABLE cake! It was oh, so yummy! I might also add, that my niece graduated at 7:30 pm - right at Braxton's bedtime. I was very antsy about how it would all work out - but he did amazing and partied right there with all of us until 11 pm! Let's just say that was the longest he'd been up in a very long time!!

Congratulations to not only myself for reaching a goal of mine, but to my niece Amber! May all of our dreams come true!!

Fun Bath Time

Braxton recently enjoyed sharing bath time with his cousin Peyton! Oh, they are so fun at this age!!

Teething!!

Braxton is in the process of teething like crazy!! He now has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth, with one more tooth trying to come in on the bottom. The bottom one has been bothering him for about a week now. His gums are swollen and he's been trying to use anything to get it to "cut" through. While driving to and from daycare he's become quite resourceful in using his tennis shoes to "teethe on". :-)

Rocking Chair

This week Braxton has been intrigued by the rocking chair in his room. Up until this time he hasn't shown any interest in it, even though we have put him to sleep in that chair since he was a baby. He's been trying to climb up into it, but hasn't been very successful. He's at that stage where he get's frustrated if he can't do something, so we've been helping him successfully get into the chair. He'll sit up there and be as content as ever. Dave and I will rock him back and forth and he is just as excited as ever! Next on our list to get...Braxton his own chair!! :-)

Sponge Time

My new word for my son is a sponge...let me explain! People are always asking how he is doing and my response is that he is such a sponge! He is at that age where he is taking everything in. Just the other day we went to the grocery store and Braxton was wide eyed and just looking and wanting to touch EVERYTHING!!

Here's is just a little of my conversation with Braxton.

Mommy: Braxton that is a banana. Banana's are yellow. Want to feel the yellow banana peel?

Braxton: (no words yet) feels, laughs, and then tries to eat the banana peel

Mommy: Braxton this is a tomato. Tomatoes are red. Want to touch the red tomato?

Braxton: (no words yet) feels, laughs, and then tries to eat the tomato

Now imagine me doing this throughout our 30 minute trip to the store! It was such an enjoyable time knowing that I was able to help satisfy my son's curiosity about the world around him! We are excited to continue to introduce new and exciting things to our son and know that this is the prime "sponge" time. I am anxiously awaiting summer as I'll be able to be at home with my little guy and watch as he learns throughout this "sponge" stage!

Braxton plays baseball in the house

For Braxton's birthday, he got a baseball tee, bat, and ball from some good friends of ours. Braxton has caught on rather quick as to what he's "supposed" to do! It's so cute to watch as he learns and plays ball in the house. It won't be long before I'm sure I'll be telling him no playing ball in the house! :-)

Braxton's First Year

This video highlights my sons first year in a month by month format. As I created it, it was very emotional to see his whole first year in a digital format from the first time we saw him in a sonogram to the first time we laid eyes on him and as he has grown throughout his first year. This video is to my son with love! Love, Mom!

Braxton turns One!

This weekend we held Braxton's first birthday party! It was such a joyous occasion surrounded by the love of our friends and family. We held his birthday party at our house and had a BBQ and cake and ice cream. Braxton had his own birthday cake in which he was able to "dig" into! He enjoyed it greatly and before mom realized it had devoured half of it. :D Braxton enjoyed all of our friends and family that were able to come and celebrate with us. He also enjoyed playing with all of his cousins! The kids had a great time, as well as the adults. As our son grows, we reflect back on all of the blessings that he has given to our family and just the sheer amount of joy that he brings to all around him.

Playdate with Cousins

This weekend Braxton and four of his cousins had the chance to play together at his birthday party! Braxton enjoyed playing with cousins Alisha, Robbie, Eddie, and Peyton. The kids played hard all day together and the house was full of laughter and lots of running! I can already tell that all of them are going to be the best of friends. I am anxiously awaiting May when all of them will be together again for my niece's graduation plus his two other cousins Amber and Chelsea who weren't able to make his party. What a fun time it will be!!! Hurry up May!